


What Moriarty Calls "The Final Problem" is Johnlock

by wellthengameover



Series: Sherlock Meta [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Analysis, Character Analysis, Episode: s02e01 A Scandal in Belgravia, Episode: s02e03 The Reichenbach Fall, Episode: s03e02 The Sign of Three, Meta, Other, Sherlock Meta, TJLC | The Johnlock Conspiracy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-01 23:24:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5225048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellthengameover/pseuds/wellthengameover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A more detailed, text-oriented version in chapter 2.</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. The Final Problem is Johnlock: The Picture Version

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A more detailed, text-oriented version in chapter 2.

There is almost nothing in this show that Jim doesn’t control:

> SHERLOCK: … James Moriarty isn’t a man at all – he’s a spider: a spider at the center of a web – a criminal web with a thousand threads, and he knows precisely how each and every single one of them dances.

And I don’t just mean the cases: **Jim is controlling the pace for Johnlock**.

This is the story:

A love story: John and Sherlock’s.

And this is the storyteller:

But I’m not just making vague allusions. We _know_ Jim controls Johnlock: Jim wants to burn Sherlock’s heart out:

In S1, Jim discovers that Sherlock’s heart is/belongs to John:

In S2, Jim [tests his Plan to burn Sherlock’s heart out using Irene](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/105279839079/the-final-problem). It seems like it works pretty well:

Also in S2, Jim makes Sherlock leave for a while so he can put his Plan into action:

In S3, Jim executes Step One of his Plan by having Sherlock realize he’s in love with John because John marries Mary:

**Jim’s Plan to burn Sherlock’s heart out is The Final Problem:**

>   
>  SHERLOCK: So how’re you going to do it … _burn me_?  
>  JIM: Oh, that’s the problem – the final problem.

“How” means a plan with steps. **  
**  
**The Final Problem is the story:**

>   
>  MYCROFT: The damsel in distress. In the end, are you really so obvious? Because this was textbook: the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption; then give him a puzzle … and watch him dance.

So let’s put this in steps:

  1. **The promise of love**
  2. **The pain of loss**
  3. **The joy of redemption**



Sherlock realizing he’s in love with John because John marries Mary is Step One – the promise of love.

And who put Mary in their life as John’s wife? Jim.  
How is Jim going to burn the heart out of Sherlock? Using love: specially, Sherlock’s love for John. **The Final Problem _is_ Johnlock. Jim’s plots _are_ Johnlock. _They are all one thing:_**

> And that’s why this choice Sherlock has to make, this great question about his romantic/sexual life, is inextricably tied into the series arc and endgame: _because Jim has set it up to be this way_.
> 
> These two choices are inextricably tied together. Wherever this story takes us, however it ends, it’s going to come down to this. Because Jim is a part of Sherlock – he’s set it up to be this way.
> 
> He is the Storyteller, after all. (via [deducingbbcsherlock](http://deducingbbcsherlock.tumblr.com/post/79244529155/the-empty-hearse-metaphor-sex-lies-and))

Jim says “heart” – “I’ll burn the **heart** out of you.” Does this not clue you in that his schemes have something to do with romance? Does the fact that Jim sent Sebastian Moran - not to kill John - but to _marry him_ clue you in that  Jim’s schemes have something to do with romance?  
Sherlock asks Jim how he’s going to burn Sherlock’s heart out:

>   
>  SHERLOCK: So how’re you going to do it … _burn me_?  
>  JIM: Oh, that’s the problem – the final problem. Have you worked out what it is yet? What’s the final problem? I did tell you … but did you listen?

Jim says he’s already told Sherlock. He did. _It was all of ASiB. Irene was Jim’s test run._ Jim sets out to see if “the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption” will work _in theory_ with Irene:

They meet, but not for very long. Irene flirts heavily and acts mysterious, sexy, and intriguing, and then she disappears: the promise of love. 

Irene sends 57 texts and Sherlock’s still not interested, so Jim tells her what to do. He tells her to fake her death: the pain of loss. 

She’s still alive, and they reunite: the joy of redemption.

  
It’s important to note that “the joy of redemption” was _false_ :

Obviously, Irene does fall for Sherlock, but that was Irene as herself, not Irene-as-Jim’s-minion, and that’s the important part because this is Jim’s plan. That’s the last step of how Jim’s going to burn Sherlock’s heart out: _false_ joy of redemption.

  
And it seems like it works because the end of ASiB is as close as Sherlock ever comes to having his heart burnt out:

  
  
  


_That’s exactly what Jim wants: for[Sherlock to choose feeling nothing over being in love - that’s burning his heart out](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet)_. Sherlock didn’t have romantic feelings for Irene, but this is the trial run: there were these three steps and then Sherlock rejected sentiment. **Imagine how much better it would work if Irene was John. That’s Jim’s plan.** At the end, Jim wants Sherlock to turn to John and say “Sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side. Sorry about dinner.”  
Since we have already had a trial run and the outline laid out for us, that means _we know how Johnlock is going to progress._  
Jim has executed Step One (the promise of love). Sherlock has two more steps to go through:

  1. ~~The promise of love~~
  2. The pain of loss
  3. The joy of redemption



Logically, Step Two (the pain of loss) should happen in S4 and Step Three (the joy of redemption) should happen in S5. That means **sometime in[S4 (likely at the very end) Sherlock will lose John in some way](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/96502039387/the-season-four-finale-the-three-garridebs-much). **

Obviously [Sherlock is not actually going to get his heart burnt out](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet) with false joy of redemption - instead of telling John “Sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side,” they’re going to kiss. Since **[the way to defeat Jim’s Plan (The Final Problem) is for John and Sherlock to get together and admit their feelings, clearly them getting together will happen about the same time they defeat Jim - obviously in the last episode](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101803266037/i-know-you-for-real-a-preview-of-the-johnlock).  
**


	2. The Final Problem is Johnlock: The Text Version

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A more detailed, text-oriented version, same principle content.

There’s a lot of theories that are sort of accepted fact about The Final Problem: that it’s “John or James?” _,_ that it’s “Stayin’ Alive,” that it’s [The Fall](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104171341727/fallings-just-like-flying). But _it’s not any of those things_. They’re all connected together, but The Final Problem is a _specific thing:_

> SHERLOCK: **So how’re you going to do it … _burn me_?**  
>  JIM _(softly)_ : **Oh, that’s the problem – the final problem.** Have you worked out what it is yet?
> 
> JIM: What’s the final problem? **I did tell you … but did you listen?**

Here it is:

> MYCROFT: **The damsel in distress.** In the end, are you really so obvious? Because this was textbook: **the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption; then give him a puzzle … and watch him dance.**

**Irene is Jim’s trial run to burn Sherlock’s heart out. The real version uses John.**

Jim hasn’t told Sherlock “John or James?” yet - that’s in TEH. He hasn’t talked about [The Fall](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104171341727/fallings-just-like-flying) yet because that’s later in this conversation. “Stayin’ Alive” or not “Stayin’ Alive” has really nothing to do with burning Sherlock’s heart out - which is what Jim says The Final Problem is about - so that doesn’t make any sense. Jim has actually had fairly limited contact with Sherlock at this point. He tells Sherlock that he’s told Sherlock _how_ he’s going to burn Sherlock’s heart out - not what he’s going to do (burn his heart out), but the _actual plan_. The word “how” means a step-by-step plan:

> SHERLOCK: So **how** ’re you going to do it … _burn me_?  
>  JIM: Oh, **that’s the problem – the final problem**. Have you worked out what it is yet?

([Sherlock’s heart isn’t burnt out yet, and it’s not going to be](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet), but burning it out is Jim’s goal.)

It’s ridiculous to think that the villain in a story - particularly a story this detailed which _[is a fairytale](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/115392257657/beauty-and-the-high-functioning-sociopath) _ but any story - wouldn’t have a specific plan. That’s how we know The Final Problem can’t be something like “John or James?” because _what does that literally translate to?_ That’s not a thing you can execute. If someone handed you a paper that says “John or James?” and said “Here’s the plan: do this,” you’d say “How? Make Sherlock pick between John or James _how_?” _How_ is The Final Problem: it’s what Jim is _literally going to do._ Sherlock even asks how Jim is going to burn his heart out because burning Sherlock’s heart out is not a thing you can just execute “as is” with no more instructions. Where is the manual? The manual is The Final Problem.

So: Jim’s goal is to burn the heart out of Sherlock. He says he’s going to use The Final Problem to do that. He says he’s told Sherlock what The Final Problem is. 

It makes sense that the plan to burn Sherlock heart out would be in ASiB for a couple reasons:

1) It’s the first episode of the second season, which apparently is when Mofftisson knew the show was going to be successful and decided how long it was going to be. Therefore, they likely plotted out the basic structure before they started on season two. So the big plot can get fully underway starting in ASiB.

2) It’s by far the most obviously romantic episode. This isn’t a detective show; it’s a romance. So whatever Jim’s final problem is would be something that fits into a romance. That means it would naturally fit in ASiB.

3) This is the episode where Sherlock actually comes closest to having his heart burnt out: “Sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side.” ASiB is all about Sherlock’s emotions and his relationship with sentiment, which we know is what The Final Problem is about: “I will burn the heart out of you.” That’s about sentiment.

4) Jim’s got two important minions to do his talking for him in ASiB: [Mycroft](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/97328231152/how-we-know-mycroft-is-under-jims-thumb) and Irene.

5) There are a lot of similarities between things Irene says/does to things Jim mentions about The Final Problem:

Irene specifically refers to the combination for her safe as a key code, even though everyone else calls it a combination:

A key code is how everyone refers to the computer code that Jim “has” that will unlock anything. But I think there’s also [a symbolic key that Jim considers to be the “key” to burning Sherlock’s heart out: IOU, and Irene foreshadows it here](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104086446556/the-final-keycode-i-o-u).

ASiB is all about trying to find the key to open Irene’s phone - her heart - and the wrong code will burn the drive - burn her heart - but since Irene is very symbolic, we’re really talking about Sherlock’s heart:

(The fully rewritten scene is [here](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100783254654/if-we-run-with-the-phone-as-heart-metaphor).)

This is very similar to Jim: Jim’s all about the key to burning Sherlock’s heart out:

> JIM: I can open any door anywhere with a few tiny lines of computer code. No such thing as a private bank account now – they’re all mine. No such thing as secrecy – I _own_ secrecy. Nuclear codes – I could blow up NATO in alphabetical order. In a world of **locked rooms, the man with the key is king** ; and honey, you should _see_ me in a crown.

It’s interesting that Jim mentions locked rooms because we know that a locked room murder is symbolic of heartbreak _._ But Jim’s saying he has the key: no rooms are locked for Jim. He’s able to get in and burn Sherlock’s heart out.

(As [just-sort-of-happened has pointed out](http://just-sort-of-happened.tumblr.com/post/104064582125/twirls-in-asib), John is the person with the real keys:

Because, of course, John is the “good key” and Jim is the “bad key” to Sherlock’s heart that Sherlock talked about when he talked about Irene’s phone above. Sherlock’s heart is [symbolized by Baker Street](http://deducingbbcsherlock.tumblr.com/post/77248066893/sherlocks-mind-palace-the-baker-street-room). Literally, Jim breaks in to Baker Street:

Forced entry, where John has the literal keys to Baker Street. This is forced entry into the physical representation of Sherlock’s heart, and Sherlock has told us that forced entry into his actual heart will burn it:

(The fully rewritten scene is [here](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100783254654/if-we-run-with-the-phone-as-heart-metaphor).)

But it’s important to differentiate between “John or James?” (the keys) and The Final Problem. They’re not exactly the same thing: “John or James?” is more closely related to [the _why_ of the The Final Problem](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104171341727/fallings-just-like-flying).)

6) I’d always thought: “Why does Jim consider ASiB to be so important? I get why it’s important for the Johnlock story or Sherlock’s personal development, but Jim is obviously heavily invested in ASiB - why is he wasting this much time? A whole year!” _But this is why_ : _ASiB is Jim’s trial run of The Final Problem:_

> MYCROFT: The damsel in distress. In the end, are you really so obvious? Because this was textbook: the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption; then give him a puzzle … and watch him dance.

This is it. This is The Final Problem: Jim’s step-by-step plan to burn Sherlock’s heart out. I’m sure of it. Here’s how we know:

 **1) Give him a puzzle and watch him dance.** Sherlock cracks the code, Irene tells Jim, Jim tells Mycroft, Mycroft is devastated:

He just found out how deep he’s in with Jim. Jim’s on his mind. “Give him a puzzle and watch him dance” is _not_ a thing Mycroft says; _it’s a thing Jim says:_

> SHERLOCK _(into phone)_ : Why are you doing this?  
> OLD WOMAN: I like … to watch you … dance.

Sherlock brings it up again at the pool: it’s obviously a thing that’s associated with Jim:

> SHERLOCK: … All your little puzzles; making me dance _…_

When I first saw ASiB, I thought Mycroft was mimicking Jim’s way of speaking to mock Sherlock - how easily played he was - and he probably is. But the thing is: Mycroft shouldn’t _know_ Jim’s way of speaking, shouldn’t know that Jim talks about making Sherlock dance, because he wasn’t around for the two times it was mentioned. He knows because [he’s under Jim’s thumb](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/97328231152/how-we-know-mycroft-is-under-jims-thumb). He knows because Jim’s taunted him about this very thing: “I’ll give Sherlock promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption; then I’ll give him a puzzle and watch him dance.” (I’m not saying that Jim _made_ Mycroft tell Sherlock this line, but that Jim’s talked about it enough that it’s in Mycroft’s brain.)

 **2)** **The damsel in distress.** When Mycroft refers to the damsel in distress, he’s talking about Irene. But we know Sherlock’s real damsel in distress is John:

> MAGNUSSEN: But look how you care about John Watson … Your damsel in distress.

We’ve always known that whatever Jim’s big plan is to burn Sherlock’s heart out, it’ll involve John. That’s just how the show is set up - about the two of them - and John’s the thing Sherlock loves the most, so he’s the obvious choice:

Jim’s always used John to get to Sherlock, and he’s always going to. A plan for _how_ Jim is going to burn Shelrock’s heart out would _have_ to talk about John. And this line specifically mentions John: “the damsel in distress.”

 **3) The promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption.** We know this is the outline of the show, but it’s also Jim’s plan. [As this is a _written story_ , it obviously makes sense that the outline of the show and the villain’s plans parallel each other.](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/115392257657/beauty-and-the-high-functioning-sociopath) Mofftisson want Sherlock to experience certain things to grow, and so they send Jim in to cause those certain things to happen. Jim  _is_ Mofftisson. They’ve straight up told us that:

>   
> 
> 
> JIM: Hullo. Are you ready for the story? This is the story of Sir Boast-a-lot.
> 
> JIM: I’m on TV. I’m on kids’ TV.  **I’m The Storyteller.** **I’m … I’m The Storyteller.**  It’s on DVD.

[_Jim is telling the story._ So of course his schemes are the same as the overall narrative. I don’t understand when people say the plot of this show is not important, that it’s only a backdrop for Johnlock, because _the plot and Johnlock are the same thing._](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/115392257657/beauty-and-the-high-functioning-sociopath) You can’t understand one without the other. [deducingbbcsherlock](http://deducingbbcsherlock.tumblr.com/post/79244529155/the-empty-hearse-metaphor-sex-lies-and) says it better:

> And that’s why this choice Sherlock has to make, this great question about his romantic/sexual life, is inextricably tied into the series arc and endgame:  _because Jim has set it up to be this way_.
> 
> These two choices are inextricably tied together. Wherever this story takes us, however it ends, it’s going to come down to this. Because Jim is a part of Sherlock – he’s set it up to be this way.
> 
> He is the Storyteller, after all.

Jim is telling the story, and the story is “the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption.” So of course that’s Jim’s plan, too. “The promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption” is a  _how_ \- not a _what_ \- and a  _how_ is what we’re looking for:

> SHERLOCK: So  **how** ’re you going to do it …  _burn me_?  
>  JIM: Oh,  **that’s the problem – the final problem**. 

That’s a plan with steps. And Jim did specifically spell it out for us: Mycroft said it and _it’s all of ASiB._ _Irene was Jim’s trial run._ Jim sets out to see if “the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption” will work _in theory_ with Irene:

They meet, but not for very long. Irene flirts heavily and acts mysterious, sexy, and intriguing, and then she disappears: the promise of love. 

Irene sends 57 texts and Sherlock’s still not interested, so Jim tells her what to do. He tells her to fake her death: the pain of loss. 

She’s still alive, and they reunite: [the joy of redemption](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/111400354387/the-joy-of-redemption).

It’s important to note that “the joy of redemption” was _false:_

Obviously, Irene does fall for Sherlock, but that was Irene as herself, not Irene-as-Jim’s-minion, and that’s the important part because this is Jim’s plan. That’s the last step of how Jim’s going to burn Sherlock’s heart out:  _false_ joy of redemption. _And it seems like it works because the end of ASiB is as close as Sherlock ever comes to having his heart burnt out:_

> SHERLOCK: Oh, enjoying the thrill of the chase is fine, craving the distraction of the game – I sympathise entirely – but sentiment? Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side.

> SHERLOCK: This is your heart … and you should  _never_  let it rule your head.

> SHERLOCK: I’ve always assumed that love is a dangerous disadvantage … thank you for the final proof. _  
> _

> IRENE _(staring at him pleadingly)_ : I won’t even last six months.  
>  SHERLOCK: Sorry about dinner.

That’s _exactly_ what Jim wants: for [Sherlock to choose _feeling nothing over being in love - that’s burning his heart out_](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet). Obviously, Sherlock didn’t have romantic feelings for Irene, but this is the _trial run:_ there were these three steps and then Sherlock rejected sentiment. Imagine how much better it would work if Irene was John. _That’s Jim’s plan._ At the end, Jim wants Sherlock to turn to John and say “Sentiment is a chemical defect found on the losing side. Sorry about dinner.” _  
_

“[Falling’s just like flying](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104171341727/fallings-just-like-flying)” implies that Sherlock _won’t know the difference between falling in love and getting his heart burnt out until it’s too late. Which is exactly Jim’s plan._ This is super important: falling and flying (getting your heart burnt out and being in love) are going to look the same until the very end _because Jim has set it up_. [Jim has been showing Sherlock how much he loves John since the beginning](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet). Haven’t we known all along that Jim wants to show Sherlock how big his heart actually is exactly _so he can burn it out better?_

> JIM: I’ll burn the _heart_ out of you.  
>  SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : I have been reliably informed that I don’t have one.  
> JIM: But we both know that’s not _quite_ true.

Jim can’t burn it out if Sherlock doesn’t know - or pretends not to know - that it exists. Think of Sherlock in ASiP. Jim _couldn’t_ burn his heart out because Sherlock didn’t love anything/realize he loved anything enough for Jim to be able to use it against him. So showing Sherlock his own heart is exactly what Jim did at the pool:

And Jim’s been continuing that theme ever since: he sent Mary to marry John so that Sherlock would realize the true depth of his feelings. Jonathon Small is symbolically John, but [he was literally sent by Jim](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/102737473295/jonathan-small-jims-minion): Sherlock and John are falling in love,  _and Jim is organizing it._

Sherlock has _told_ us he’s not sure of the difference between falling and flying:

(The fully rewritten scene is [here](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100783254654/if-we-run-with-the-phone-as-heart-metaphor).)

Sherlock says he’s not sure he can tell the difference between being in love and getting his heart burnt out. This is _exactly_ what Jim wants and is trying to set up. [Jim has been encouraging Sherlock to fall in love with John this whole time](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet) so that Sherlock thinks he’ll be in love forever (flying), but Jim can yank it out from under him at the last second (falling) with The Final Problem: the plan to burn Sherlock’s heart out. _Sherlock won’t know the difference until it’s too late and his heart has been burnt out_. (Obviously, that’s not actually going to happen because Sherlock and John will live happily ever after, but that’s Jim’s plan.)

Before we get further into this: we tend to think of “the pain of loss” as TRF, but _that’s not true._  That’s the pain of loss from  _John's_ _POV,_ and Jim is only concerned with Sherlock’s POV. Even though Sherlock missed John _,_ Sherlock always knew he was still alive, and he thought John was going to be waiting for him when he got back:

> SHERLOCK:  _What_  life? I’ve been away.

TRF is  _step zero_ (and [a literal version of The Fall](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104171341727/fallings-just-like-flying)).TRF the set-up for burning Sherlock’s heart out. ASiB is the trial run; TRF is the preparation:

> SHERLOCK  _(stopping and getting into Jim’s face)_ : Yes, but I’m not my brother, remember? I am you – prepared to do anything;  **prepared to burn** ; prepared to do what ordinary people won’t do. You want me to shake hands with you in hell? I shall not disappoint you.

This is almost the last thing Sherlock says to Jim before Jim decides Reichenbach is complete and fakes his death. Sherlock is  _prepared to burn._ “Prepared” is the key word. People have said that getting Sherlock to be willing to torture Jim for the recall of the assassins is Jim trying to burn Sherlock’s heart out, but burning Sherlock’s heart out is a  _specific thing._ It’s not just a general “I’ll try some stuff.” Jim has a specific plan:

> JIM: I did tell you … but did you listen?

That means there’s a specific plan: “the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption.” It’s a plan about romantic stuff, which getting Sherlock to torture Jim is not. Remember: _L_ _ove is a much more vicious motivator._ False love is more powerful burn Sherlock’s heart out than anything else.

So when Sherlock says he’s “prepared to burn,” Jim’s gotten what he wanted: this stage (TRF: step zero of three) of [burning Sherlock’s heart out](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100385989117/jim-comes-for-tea) is now complete. So ASiB is the trial run, and TRF is where Jim starts to put his plan into action. Reichenbach  _isn’t step one_ , though. TRF is how Jim  _sets up_ for step one. Jim needs Sherlock and John apart for long enough that John will meet someone else because that’s how Jim gets Sherlock to realize he’s in love with John, and  _that’s step one:_

**1) The promise of love**

** **

I’ve thought about this _a lot_ : this isn’t the pain of loss; this is the promise of love. It’s firstly important to remember that the promise of love is a  _promise:_ a) it’s not actually realized (just like Sherlock’s initial meeting with Irene was brief), and b) promise=vow. Besides, this is when Sherlock  _realizes he’s in love with John_. I know he doesn’t get to have him, but he doesn't  _lose_ him: he has him just about as much as he did the previous day; it just hurts more now. Besides, Jim said he was going to make sure Sherlock falls in love with John, but he never said he was going to be nice about it.

There are actually quite a few parallels between the scene where Irene and Sherlock meet and the wedding. The whole time Sherlock is at the wedding (not the rest of TSoT) is “the real version” of the scene when Sherlock and Irene meet up to when she returns his coat. Jim ran all three steps of the trial run in one episode, but for the real deal, he’s making it a lot bigger/longer.

1) It’s the only two times “Vatican Cameos” is used. The time in ASiB is a pretty memorable moment, so Mofftisson wouldn’t use it again without wanting you to remember the first time.

2) Irene shows up in Sherlock’s Mind Palace again, dressed (or not dressed) just as she was in the trial run “promise of love”:

Moftisson aren’t just reminding you of sentiment with Irene; by having her look like she did in “the promise of love” scene in ASiB, you’re reminded of that scene in particular.

3) They’re the only two scenes with vicars:

They didn’t have to show this guy, and Sherlock’s vicar disguise was the first thing I thought of when I saw him. Since Mofftisson made such a big deal of Sherlock’s vicar disguise - it’s where two big lines “However hard you try, disguise is always a self-portrait” and “You’re damaged, delusional, and believe in a higher power; in this case, it’s yourself” come in - I don’t think they would’ve brought in another vicar accidentally. They’re subtly reminding you of the “promise of love” scene in ASiB.

4) In both scenes, Sherlock spends a lot of time trying to solve the heartbreak case: [John’s in ASiB with the hiker deduction case](http://loudest-subtext-in-television.tumblr.com/post/79298644140/hello-i-absolutely-love-your-m-theory-i-thought) and his own in TSoT with the Mayfly Man case. Both cases are solved almost completely in Sherlock’s mind palace, which _doesn’t happen any other time_. They’re the same case (symbolically): heartbreak:

> IRENE: … The car backfires and the hiker turns to look …which was his big mistake _…_ **By the time the driver looks up, the hiker’s already dead.**

> SHERLOCK: _Tight_ belt, worn high on the waist. Very easy to push a small blade through the fabric and you wouldn’t even feel it.  
>  JOHN: The-the belt would bind the flesh together when it was tied tight …  
> SHERLOCK: Exactly.  
> JOHN: … and when you took it off …  
> SHERLOCK: **Delayed action stabbing.** All the time in the world to create an alibi.

5) Sherlock’s both times to gets photographs from a criminal:

> IRENE: No, no, no, you’re here for the photographs but that’s never gonna happen …

> SHERLOCK: There is always a man at a wedding who is not in any photograph but can go anywhere, and even carry an equipment bag around with him if he likes, and you never even see his face. You only ever see … the camera.

6) Mofftisson specifically brought up the fact that the Mayfly Man murder was _rehearsed:_

>   
>  _ _
> 
> SHERLOCK: Oh, not just planned. **Planned and rehearsed.**

Not only was the literal murder planned and rehearsed; the metaphorical murder was planned and rehearsed, too:

> ARCHIE: The invisible man with the invisible knife!
> 
> SHERLOCK: Oh, not just planned. Planned and rehearsed.
> 
> SHERLOCK: Ladies and gentlemen, there will now be a short interlude.
> 
>   
> 

Who is  _really_ the invisible man with the invisible knife in this show? Jim. “Planned and rehearsed” - that was ASiB. And “a short interlude”? Reichenbach.

But I don’t even think you’d need these parallels because the scenes themselves are parallel: Mycroft specifically calls Sherlock meeting Irene “the promise of love,” and then Sherlock realizes he’s in love with John at the wedding. They’re the same thing: the promise of love.

It’s also important to remember that - despite the fact that Jim is actually not present at the wedding - he’s very heavily involved. [He sends a telegram: “Stella and Ted.”](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101881129887/stella-and-ted-is-jim) [His sister](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101964746533/janine-moriarty) is the chief bridesmaid. [His best assassin is the bride](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/95870591462/mary-as-moran-vs-mary-as-birdy-theyre-both-true). [He sends Jonathan Small](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/102737473295/jonathan-small-jims-minion) \- the photographer - who does the actual stabbing. [Tom works for Jim](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/102902347772/thats-another-magpie-isnt-it-next-to-tom). And there’s the magpie thing:

> One for sorrow,
> 
> Two for joy;
> 
> **Three for a wedding,**
> 
> ****
> 
> **Four for death;**
> 
> ** **
> 
> Five for silver,
> 
> Six for gold;
> 
> Seven for a secret,
> 
> Not to be told;
> 
> Eight for heaven,
> 
> Nine for hell
> 
> And ten for the devil’s own sell!

At first, I assumed that magpies were Jim’s signature, but _they’re not in ASiB or HLV or TGG or TEH_ , which Jim is also involved in. Besides TRF, they’re only in TSoT. So I don’t think they’re just Jim’s signature; I think they’re a more specific thing about [The Fall](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104171341727/fallings-just-like-flying), which is the _why_ of The Final Problem: falling, flying, birds. The poem has “one for sorrow; two for joy,” and it wouldn't surprise me at all if we got one magpie with the pain of loss and two with the joy of (false) redemption.

**2) The pain of loss**

We haven’t had this yet. But that makes perfect sense: there are two more steps and there are two more seasons.

People have been saying “Season four will be the tipping point to either go full-steam ahead for Johnlock or back off” (backing off is never going to happen) and that belief has sort of been repeated so much that people just take it as true, but it really doesn’t make much sense. We’ve already _ha_ _d_[the “tipping point” - the climax - in the Watsons Have A Domestic](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/97647901957/sherlock-and-john-in-the-watsons-have-a-domestic) and if we’re talking about textually realized, snogging Johnlock, that’s not going to happen in season four. That’s season five. I _do_ think [we’ll get _The Three Garridebs_ in the season four finale](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/96502039387/the-season-four-finale-the-three-garridebs-much), but [I _don’t_ think that’ll be The Johnlock Kiss for several reasons](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101121024682/the-johnlock-arc), and what _The Three Garridebs_ does set up is an awful lot of options for “the pain of loss.”

But the question is: what’s the pain of loss going to look like? Jim can’t set something up for this where he’s planning for John to die because then Jim couldn’t do the joy of redemption afterward because John would be dead. _This step is going to work_ ; it’s only the joy of (false) redemption that isn’t going to go like Jim planned - just like Irene actually ended up falling for Sherlock. Jim might want to kill John after this whole thing’s over, but he has to use him for all the steps first. Remember, _The Final Problem is going to work perfectly for Jim right up until the very end because[“falling” and “flying” are the same up to that point: getting his heart burnt out and being in love with John are the same until  the very end](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104171341727/fallings-just-like-flying). So Jim can’t be planning to actually kill John at this step. _ But if Jim did something where John  _almost_ dies, is that really “the pain of loss?” There’s no loss. With Irene, Sherlock  _thought_ there was loss - [or was supposed to think there was loss](http://just-sort-of-happened.tumblr.com/post/100790844915/sherlock-knew-irene-was-alive-when-he-saw-her) \- but with an almost-death, that doesn’t happen. It seems really unlikely that Jim will set something up where John has to fake his death: Jim’s already done that with Sherlock so too boring. Does “the pain of loss” _necessarily_ refer to death? Could it be another kid of loss: John leaving, etc.? Or is there a death Jim could be setting up for John that would work?

**3)[The joy of redemption](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/111400354387/the-joy-of-redemption)**

We haven’t had this yet, either. Two steps, two seasons: this is the season five finale because this is The Endgame, both for Johnlock and for Jim. Remember, _they’re the same thing._

The joy of redemption is  _false,_ at least in Jim’s plan. And when the joy of redemption turned out to be false with Irene, Sherlock said:

> SHERLOCK: Oh, enjoying the thrill of the chase is fine, craving the distraction of the game – I sympathise entirely – but sentiment? Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side.

> SHERLOCK: This is your heart … and you should  _never_  let it rule your head.

> SHERLOCK: I’ve always assumed that love is a dangerous disadvantage … thank you for the final proof.

And then he just walked out, going to leave her to die. This wasn’t really about Irene, but we’re thinking from Jim’s POV. [Jim wants Sherlock to choose feeling nothing over being happy and in love: that’s what burning his heart out means](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet). And it seemed like it worked on a very small scale with Irene, so if Jim did it on a  _huge_ scale with John, it would totally work. Sherlock thinks he finally,  _finally_ gets to have John… but at the last minute he doesn’t because he rejects sentiment entirely.

(Of course, that’s not what's  _actually_ going to happen because Sherlock and John will live happily ever after, but that’s Jim’s plan. Jim underestimates how much they love each other. But Jim’s plan has got to work pretty well up until the very end or there’s no suspense at all - but then we’ll be getting _real_ joy of redemption, not false.)

I’m positive that in the season five finale, Jim will set things up so that Sherlock thinks he starts  _missing cases_ ** _because of sentiment_.**  Isn’t that basically the ultimate “John or James” question? It’s pretty much the point of the show… and it’s pretty much exactly what happened with Irene: she “lost the game” because of sentiment. Sherlock will think he can’t solve cases anymore because he loves John. And to complicate matters, Sherlock believes John only loves him for the danger/excitement, so if he  _can’t solve the cases, John will leave._ But John’s the reason he’s missing cases in the first place!

[If everything goes according to Jim’s plan, Sherlock will burn his heart out  _himself:_ reject sentiment, choose to feel nothing over being in love with John and John being in love with him](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet): just like what Jim thinks happened with Irene, only _a lot more_. But _this_ is the moment – by far the best moment – for [The Johnlock Kiss](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101803266037/i-know-you-for-real-a-preview-of-the-johnlock-kiss) \- because we’ll be getting the  _real_ joy of redemption. (I know that you want The Johnlock Kiss before season five, but [it’s really, really not going to happen until then](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101121024682/the-johnlock-arc). (Read [this link about The Kiss](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101803266037/i-know-you-for-real-a-preview-of-the-johnlock-kiss) and [this link about the timeline](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101121024682/the-johnlock-arc): The Johnlock Kiss will be worth the wait.) 

Anyway, you can’t have The Kiss until the joy of redemption and that obviously has to come at the end because it has to happen at the same time they get rid of Jim because _Jim and the plot and Johnlock are all one thing: The Final Problem._ You can’t separate them.)

**Jim’s got the recipe to burn Sherlock’s heart out; he’s tested it; now he just needs to execute. What this tells us is what Jim’s up to (overall) for the next two seasons. It tells us specifically _how_ because we’ve seen the rehearsal with Irene. And it tells us specifically [the timeline for Johnlock](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101121024682/the-johnlock-arc) because we can’t get it without these last two steps, and the last step is irrevocably tied to defeating Jim.  
**

**So, recapping:**

**[Burning Sherlock’s heart out](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet):** _What_ Jim wants

  * Sherlock’s heart being burnt out would be a man who feels nothing, who is incapable of love
  * hasn’t happened yet 
  * won’t actually happen



**The Final Problem:** _How_ Jim is going to burn Sherlock’s heart out (this post)

  1. the promise of love - the wedding
  2. the pain of loss - hasn’t happened yet
  3. [the joy of (false) redemption](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/111400354387/the-joy-of-redemption) \- hasn’t happened yet (will actually result in [The Johnlock Kiss](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101803266037/i-know-you-for-real-a-preview-of-the-johnlock) in 5x3)



**[The Fall](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104171341727/fallings-just-like-flying):** _Why_ Jim wants to burn Sherlock’s heart out

  * the fall from heaven
  * Jim can’t play chess games with Sherlock if Sherlock cares about the pawns



**[IOU](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/104086446556/the-final-keycode-i-o-u):** the “key” to burning Sherlock’s heart out

  * the clue that comes right before the burning



**[Timeline](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101121024682/the-johnlock-arc):**

  1. ASiB: Jim’s trial run of The Final Problem
  2. TRF: the literal version/trial run of The Fall, set up for The Final Problem
  3. TSoT: step one of The Final Problem (the promise of love)
  4. _4x3: step two of The Final Problem (the pain of loss)_
  5. _5x3: step three of The Final Problem (the joy of redemption)_




	3. Falling's Just Like Flying

So what does this line of Jim’s actually mean?

> SHERLOCK: What is it all for?  
>  JIM: I want to solve the problem – our problem; the final problem … It’s gonna start very soon, Sherlock: the fall.
> 
> JIM: But don’t be scared. Falling’s just like flying, except there’s a more permanent destination.
> 
> SHERLOCK: Never liked riddles.  
>  JIM: Learn to. Because I owe you a fall, Sherlock. I …  _owe_  … you. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/31651.html))

“The fall” is _not_ the Reichenbach fall off the roof because Sherlock picks a tall building, not Jim. In fact, _**Jim doesn’t mention “a fall” on _ **[the roof](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100860680167/the-roof-at-reichenbach)**_ at all.**  _When Jim says “I owe you a fall,” everyone comes to think it means either a) the literal fall off St. Bart’s, b) the fall from grace, c) falling for Jim, or d) a combination. But because Jim doesn’t mention “a fall” on the rooftop, I definitely don’t think the “fall” Jim’s talking about here refers to anything in TRF.

Falling and flying are repeated _a lot_ in this show:

Irene:

>   
> 
> 
> IRENE: … and the hiker, he’s staring at the sky. Now, you said he could be watching birds but he wasn’t, was he? He was watching another kind of **flying** thing. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/26320.html?thread=286928))

This is an odd turn of phrase. She’s technically talking about the boomerang, but you need to read [LSiT’s hiker deduction meta](http://loudest-subtext-in-television.tumblr.com/post/79298644140/hello-i-absolutely-love-your-m-theory-i-thought) if you haven’t already because the hiker case is John’s heart breakover Sherlock.

Mycroft:

>   
> 
> 
> MYCROFT: The **flight** of the dead.  
>  …  
>  MYCROFT: We ran a similar project with the Germans a while back, though I believe one of our passengers didn’t make the **flight.**  
>  _…_  
>  SHERLOCK: How’s the plane going to **fly?** _(He answers himself immediately.)_ Of course: unmanned aircraft. Hardly new.  
>  MYCROFT: It _doesn’t_ **fly.** It will _never_ **fly.** This entire project is cancelled. The terrorist cells have been informed that we know about the bomb. We can’t fool them now. We’ve lost everything. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/26320.html?thread=286928))

They say fly an awful lot in this conversation - and we know the reason the plane doesn’t fly is because of Jim (he tells the terrorists that MI6 knows about the bomb).

At the wedding:

>   
> 
> 
> SHERLOCK _(in the Chamber)_ : The May **fly** Man.  
>  _The champagne glass continues downwards._  
>  SHERLOCK _(in the Chamber)_ : The May **fly** Man is …  
>  SHERLOCK _(at the reception)_ : … here today. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/66078.html))

The Mayfly Man is _not_ an ACD reference; Mofftisson picked this name. We know the Mayfly Man is symbolically John, and [Jim sent Jonathan Small](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/102737473295/jonathan-small-jims-minion).

When Mary shoots Sherlock:

>   
> 
> 
> MP!MOLLY: It’s not like it is in the movies. There’s not a great big spurt of blood and you go **flying** backwards.  
>  _…_  
>  MP!MOLLY: **Fall** now. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/68754.html))

Mind Palace!Molly and Mind Palace!Anderson talk  _a lot_ about falling - obviously referencing Reichenbach with the color shift and music, but I don’t think that’s the whole story. What is “expected” is that Sherlock goes flying backward, but what actually happens is he falls.

[mid0nz made this fabulous post](http://mid0nz.tumblr.com/post/102887974539/two-221b-zoom-shots-gosh-how-are-they):

>   
> 

**Two 221b Zoom Shots**

Gosh. How are they thematically similar? (The newspaper between Sherlock and Moriarty says “United We Stand.”)

Obviously we can say that Mary is dividing them, but I think there actually may be more going on with this. Falling is definitely a theme: _United we stand, divided we fall_.

So let’s begin:

The hiker deduction case and the Mayfly Man case are the same case (symbolically): heartbreak. _Pretty much everything that’s supposed to fly ends up falling_ : the boomerang that is John’s heartbreak, the plane that never gets off the ground, Sherlock off the roof, Sherlock when Mary shoots him. etc.

Irene mentions “another kind of flying thing” without ever actually specifying what she’s talking about. There is one big “flying thing” in this show: angels:

>   
> 
> 
> JIM: You’re on the side of the angels. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/31651.html))

> JIM: Naah. You  _talk_  big. Naah. You’re ordinary. You’re ordinary – you’re on the side of the angels.
> 
> SHERLOCK: Oh, I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/31651.html))

Angels are things that fly… and fall, as in Lucifer’s fall from Heaven.

Not quite an angel but close is the bonfire text skipcode:

>   
> 
> 
> _Saint or Sinner?_

This is the big question: _Saint or sinner, James or John?_ Remember, Jim’s music includes “Sinner Man.”

I’m just going to drop [this meta by deducingbbcsherlock](http://deducingbbcsherlock.tumblr.com/post/79946911513/john-or-james-watson-i-am-you) in here:

> But don’t forget this:  _you’re me._ This isn’t just about Sherlock choosing Jim or John as a partner. Sherlock has suppressed his emotions since childhood in favor of logic. Mind over heart. John brings out the heart in him (especially in season three, but in previous seasons, too). So that heart’s got to go. Jim wants Sherlock to make that internal choice. He wants to break Sherlock and rebuild him into a truly heartless sociopath, like Jim.

People have talked a lot about the idea that “the fall” is Sherlock falling for Jim, but I don’t think that’s _exactly_ right. I think that’s an element or the end result, but not The Fall itself. Though they’re obviously very closely connected, The Fall isn’t the “James or John” question; it’s the “Saint or sinner” question. It’s a fall from heaven.

[Jim wants to play chess with Sherlock](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/102047149496/parallels-between-jim-and-the-cabbie-from-asip), but the trouble is that you can’t play chess with someone who personally cares about the safety of each of the pawns. So he has to make Sherlock stop caring about that, stop seeing the pieces of the game as people and see them only as pieces. [How to do that? Burn his heart out - what Jim calls The Final Problem](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/105279839079/the-final-problem).

So The Fall is really the answer to _why_ Jim wants to burn Sherlock’s heart out:

> JIM: Naah. You  _talk_  big. Naah. You’re ordinary. You’re ordinary – you’re on the side of the angels.
> 
> SHERLOCK: Oh, **I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them.** ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/31651.html)) **  
> **

This is _the last thing_ Sherlock says on [the rooftop](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100860680167/the-roof-at-reichenbach) before Jim becomes beatific, decides the trial run of his plan is done, and [fakes his death](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/102826408929/jim-is-alive).  _This_ _is what Jim wants to hear._ The “angels” part of this is key to that: that Sherlock can fall from heaven aka become a real sociopath.

So The Fall is _not_[The Final Problem](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/105279839079/the-final-problem): The Fall is the _why_ of The Final Problem.

TRF was the literal version or the trial run. Jim/this show does that a lot: have a mini version of a thing before the major version of the thing. Obviously, there’s a _huge_ parallel between the fall from grace that Sherlock has with the newspapers and Scotland Yard in TRF and the idea of a fall from heaven. Newspapers and Scotland Yard’s respect are literal  things; the idea of a fall from heaven isn’t. Newspapers and Scotland Yard’s respect are specific things - isolated incidents that can be fixed or ignored - but a fall from heaven would be that same kind of fall from grace in totality, so that Sherlock has literally nothing. TRF was external - about the way _other people_ view Sherlock’s morality; The Fall is internal to Sherlock - the way _Sherlock_ views his own morality. So TRF was the test drive of The Fall. And with that last line that Sherlock says - “I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them.” - it looks to Jim like it’s possible that Sherlock will fall.

So basically, we have:

I don’t think they mean this in the religious sense exactly; it’s just a metaphor. The Fall means a fall from heaven, a fall from being “on the side of the angels,” as in becoming like Jim.

So back to this dialogue:

> JIM: … It’s gonna start very soon, Sherlock: the fall.
> 
> JIM: But don’t be scared. Falling’s just like flying, except there’s a more permanent destination.
> 
> SHERLOCK: Never liked riddles.  
>  JIM: Learn to. Because I owe you a fall, Sherlock. I …  _owe_  … you. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/31651.html))

The first line:

> JIM: … It’s gonna start very soon, Sherlock: the fall.

“It” refers to “the fall,” so that means: _“The Fall is gonna start very soon, Sherlock.”_ We take that to mean The Fall is Reichenbach, that Reichenbach is Jim’s big plan to burn Sherlock’s heart out. _But since we know that[Jim’s still alive](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/102826408929/jim-is-alive), [planning to do more with Sherlock](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet), and doesn’t mention “a fall” on the roof, that can’t be true_. Actually, all that the sentence implies is that The Fall will _start_ very soon, _not start and end_. When Jim tells the tale of Sir Boast-A-Lot, he even says that [Reichenbach isn’t The Final Problem](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/105279839079/the-final-problem):

> JIM _(shaking his head repeatedly)_ : But that wasn’t the end of Sir Boast-a-lot’s problem. No.  **That wasn’t the _final_ problem.**

So Reichenbach is only the trial run of The Fall or the literal version of it, if you prefer. We know [we’re going back to Reichenbach](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101137985614/things-that-still-piss-me-off-about-the-empty) to at least rehash some of [the emotions](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/101803266037/i-know-you-for-real-a-preview-of-the-johnlock). So it makes sense that The Fall will echo Reichenbach. Jim has been foreshadowing his own game (that’s because he’s the storyteller). Of course, [mild-lunacy](http://mild-lunacy.tumblr.com/) has said it better:

> It seems that the image of a spiral – of a game that echoes and mirrors itself – is especially useful to understand the way they return to but never quite _unravel_ the central mystery at the center of the labyrinth. They get closer and closer with each iteration, but each instance raises as many questions as it answers.

The next line Jim says is:

> JIM: But don’t be scared. Falling’s just like flying, except there’s a more permanent destination.

There are a couple really interesting elements of this line:

1) “A more permanent destination” implies that there is no recovering from this fall - a fall from heaven. This is totally compliant with what we already know. [When Jim implies heartbreak with “burn the heart out of you,” he doesn’t mean the idiomatic expression “a very strong feeling of sadness, disappointment, etc.” He means broken as in the more literal meaning: it doesn’t work anymore. Sherlock’s heart won’t work anymore. A heart isn’t like a broken clock or a broken ankle; it doesn’t ever get better because a heart doesn’t want to be fixed. Sherlock with his heart burnt out won’t be able to love anymore, and he won’t want to. (But - of course - that will never happen. No fear.)](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet)

2) “Falling’s just like flying” implies that Sherlock _won’t know the difference between falling in love and getting his heart burnt out until it’s too late. Which is exactly Jim’s plan._ This is super important: falling and flying (getting your heart burnt out and being in love) are going to look the same until the very end _because Jim has set it up_. [Jim has been showing Sherlock how much he loves John since the beginning](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet). Haven’t we known all along that Jim wants to show Sherlock how big his heart actually is exactly _so he can burn it out better?_

> JIM: I’ll burn the _heart_ out of you.  
>  SHERLOCK: I have been reliably informed that I don’t have one.  
>  JIM: But we both know that’s not _quite_ true. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/31651.html))

Jim can’t burn it out if Sherlock doesn’t know - or pretends not to know - that it exists. Think of Sherlock in ASiP. Jim _couldn’t_ burn his heart out because Sherlock didn’t love anything/realize he loved anything enough for Jim to be able to use it against him. So showing Sherlock his own heart is exactly what Jim did at the pool:

Sherlock has _told_ us he’s not sure of the difference between falling and flying:

(The fully rewritten scene is [here](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100783254654/if-we-run-with-the-phone-as-heart-metaphor).)

Sherlock says he’s not sure he can tell the difference between being in love and getting his heart burnt out. This is _exactly_ what Jim wants and is trying to set up. [Jim has been encouraging Sherlock to fall in love with John this whole time](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/100624299225/sherlocks-heart-hasnt-been-burnt-out-yet) so that Sherlock thinks he’ll be in love forever (flying), but Jim can yank it out from under him at the last second (falling) with [The Final Problem](http://wellthengameover.tumblr.com/post/105279839079/the-final-problem). _Sherlock won’t know the difference until it’s too late and his heart has been burnt out_. (Obviously, that’s not actually going to happen because Sherlock and John will live happily ever after, but that’s Jim’s plan.) Remember: pretty much everything in this show that’s supposed to fly ends up falling unexpectedly: again, Jim has been foreshadowing his own game.

The last line:

> JIM: Learn to. Because I owe you a fall, Sherlock. I …  _owe_  … you.

So Jim thinks he does “owe” Sherlock a fall from heaven:

> JIM: You need me, or you’re nothing. Because we’re just alike, you and I – except you’re boring.
> 
> JIM: You’re on the side of the angels. ([x](http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/31651.html))

_You could be great; we could be playing chess with live people, but instead you insist on being boring and caring about ordinary people. You’re on the side of the angels. Well, I can fix that: I owe you a fall (from heaven). You’ll thank me for it later._


End file.
